to great lengths to avoid being photographed together or seen together. We went out to eat and spent time together exploring Vancouver when we had free time. We went back and forth between the condo and her rented townhouse. It seemed like every other week, there was a new story about us, accompanied by grainy pictures. So far, public opinion was that we made a really attractive couple, but Maren deserved better. No one thought what we had was going to last.
It was going to be hella fun proving them wrong.
I must not have answered quickly enough because Arrow leaned over my shoulder and furiously tapped the cover of the magazine with her index finger. “This guy is such a fucking asshole!”
I reached out and pulled the magazine closer, frowning when I saw Maren’s ex on the cover. Only it wasn’t a picture of him with his pretty, pregnant wife. Instead, it was a blurry photo of the former rockstar locked in a steamy embrace with a girl who didn’t even look old enough to vote.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. He did it again?” What a dirtbag. Ditching him was the best decision Maren had ever made. He undoubtedly would have hurt her over and over again.
He never deserved her.
Even before she was mine, I knew instinctively that I would have to treat her as if she was priceless and deserved the whole world. But seeing how thoughtless and clueless her ex was, it made me even more determined to not only be good to her at every turn, but to leave her with memories that would never haunt or harm her. Even if we did break up down the road, I didn’t want her to constantly remember things I’d done wrong. I wanted her to be proud that she was with me, the way I was honored to be with her.
I would be the best thing that had ever happened to her, regardless of what those shady Twitter polls said or how steep the odds were.
“Has Maren seen this?” I looked at Arrow over my shoulder as I asked the question. There was no question Maren was over her ex, but the story was bound to bring her back to a time in her life when she’s been the most vulnerable and defenseless. It was bound to make her uneasy.
“I don’t think so. She wasn’t feeling well during filming yesterday, and she looked a little green around the gills today. Unless it popped up on her phone or Lennon told her, I don’t think she would’ve come across it.” She made a face and reached up to push her colorful hair away from her face. “I should probably give her a heads-up so it doesn’t blindside her. I’m sure people will be dying to get a reaction from her since Erik left her for his new wife. It’s got nothing to do with her, but because she’s the most famous face in the scenario, the press will be hounding her all over again until they get some kind of reaction.”
I pushed away from the table and climbed to my feet. “Don’t worry about Maren. She’s tough, and I’ll make sure to protect her. I’ll break the news to her, but you should tell Lennon to have her team prepare some kind of statement. That might hold the wolves at bay for a bit.”
Arrow nodded while cursing Erik up one side and down the other under her breath. I snatched up the magazine and made my way through the townhouse to the master suite on the top floor. Maren mentioned she was tired when we finished shooting for the day, but I figured it was the emotional toll from the current scenes. I didn’t realize she’d been rundown the last few days. So much for trusting me to take care of her. She was still being Miss Independent and handling whatever came her way all on her own.
We were going to have to have a serious conversation about that bad habit of hers. But first, I needed to make sure she was braced for whatever fallout was coming from her ex being unable to keep his dick in control.
I was quiet when I walked into the room. Maren had the lights off and was lying diagonally across the bed with her arm thrown over her eyes and the other resting on her stomach. She didn’t move a single muscle when I sat down on the edge of the mattress.